I'm a Maine mom with a culinary arts degree and a passion for all things sweet, salty, and delicious. I have over a dozen years of working professionally with food, and a passion for getting a good meal into my family's belly and teaching home cooks how to cook!
Here you'll find recipes that will take the guesswork out of what the heck to make for dinner. These dishes are made with simple ingredients (plus lots of tips for substituting and ingredient swapping), loads of flavor, and come together with no fuss.
The goal of Barefoot In The Pines is to give you the confidence to get in the kitchen and make a spectacular meal for the family and try a recipe you've always wanted to make!
We're here to make things as clear and simple as possible. I can't help it, I'm a New Englander and we like everything simple and to the point.
About Michelle
I'm a born and bred Mainer with a serious passion for cooking. From classic New England Chowder, to homemade baked goods, and indulgent cheesecakes, I love nothing more than spending time in the kitchen, creating delicious meals for my friends and family.
Cooking Career
Food and creating dishes have always been a passion of mine. After graduating high school, I enrolled in my local college's Culinary Arts Program and got my Associate Degree in Culinary Arts.
Immediately following graduation, I received a job opportunity to work in a bakery, which was a dream of mine.
I worked at the little bakery in Portland, ME for two years, where I met my now husband and learned so much about baking, timing, and how to properly flip loaves of bread out of a loaf pan.
After leaving the bakery I worked in the corporate world for a bit all while starting my own bakery "Ragamuffins Baking Co". There I specialized in cheesecakes, cookies, and custom cakes.
After having my kiddo in 2017, I became a stay-at-home mom, and I pursued my passion for recipe development and educating others with the blog and developing recipes for sites like Mashed and Health Digest. I still can't believe I get to call this "work"!
But even with all that experience under my belt, there's nothing quite like cooking for the people I love. Whether I'm whipping up a batch of homemade blueberry muffins or slow cooking something savory for supper, there's always something delicious happening in my kitchen.
Favorite Dishes to Make
I'm a baker by nature, and my love language is cheesecake. I'm partial to a traditional NY Style Cheesecake, especially mini cheesecakes .
When it comes to breakfast, I'm absolutely a sweets girl. These Orange Almond Muffins on the blog right now are my favorite breakfast treat, and I of course love a warm batch of blueberry muffins.
Cookies are my weakness, especially anything with a "chip" in it is my favorite. I'm obsessed with these white chocolate chip cookies.
Hobbies
Well, it shouldn't be a secret that I'm obsessed with cooking--especially baking.
My other hobbies include various crafting and art projects, I can't help it, I just love making stuff!
I'm a big fan of downtime if I can find any! When I do, I listen to a lot of podcasts, hike with my furry pup named Duke, and spend time with my hubs and kiddo.
Thank you for stopping by! I hope you take away a good recipe, a chuckle or two, and create a memory of your own to pass on.